


Complicated

by dullstarss



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: (at the very end), (um that's like the most awkward ship name but ok), Cute Cudde Puddle, Established Wessa, F/M, How Do I Tag, Modern human AU, Multi, POV Jem, Polyamory, Polyamory but Closed Relationship, Very brief mentions of sex, Yay I finally wrote a fic that's over 1K, college students, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10833132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dullstarss/pseuds/dullstarss
Summary: Will and Tessa are in a relationship, but Jem can't get over the idea of being with her.-I suck at summaries. My bad.-Disclaimer: All characters belong to Cassandra Clare. I merely created the idea of this fanfic.





	Complicated

**Author's Note:**

> Another disclaimer: All polyamory relationships are different! This fic does not represent all polyamorous relationships. Keep that in mind.  
> 

On a bright morning in early August, Jem is watching Will and Tessa, with his hand enveloping hers and their heads bent together over the stone table, whispering things that make Tessa's fine skin turn pink and Will's lips turn up on one side.

He's watching them from across the courtyard as he sits on the ground, leaning against a wall. Every so often, someone would walk by (he was sitting on a sidewalk, after all), and he would pull his feet in as they blocked his view of the mouse brown-haired girl with her black haired boyfriend.

He could remember clearly the first time he had seen them. Tessa, with her sharply angled face and intelligent gray eyes, had been studying the whiteboard when he walked in on the first day, looking for a place to sit. She had seen him, the transfer student from China to New York (which was so vastly different from what he had expected), and smiled, with perfectly even teeth blinking up at him. As she reached a hand up to tuck a long piece of hair behind her ear, he smiled back.

Less than a week later, while Jem was eating lunch, a young man sat down next to him, all wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes, the kind that see into souls and pretend to be naïve. That was Jem's first impression. His next was that the man's words were tinted with a vulgar vocabulary and a thick British accent. They became friends quickly, and Jem pushed back the thought of wanting to love his girlfriend.

Now, the idea wouldn't remain locked up (although he had certainly done his best to make it so). When Tessa glances up, her gray eyes catching his deep brown ones, he feels himself flush immediately. Will's head bends, and Jem loses sight of both of them. Then he sees them, both laughing, both staring straight at him.

He dips his head, pretending to be intent on his sandwich. When he risks a glance up again, Tessa's eying him, and when she sees he's looking she beckons him over, grinning sweetly.

After only a few seconds of hesitation, he rises from the sidewalk and makes his way towards them, flicking his dark, silky hair out of his eyes. He takes his seat beside them.

"Hey, Tessa. Will." He grins at both of them, simply glad to have someone to sit next to. They return the greeting, and then continue their conversation. Jem listens happily and pipes in comfortably, and they accept it easily.

Within a few days, this has become the normal. Jem joins Will and Tessa for lunch on the outskirts of the university's central courtyard. Months flit past like butterflies, darting out of their grasps until, suddenly, it's summer and they're all officially adults, graduated from college. The trio have become so close, almost inseparable, although every once in awhile Jem refuses invitations on the simple ground that they need their alone time (in truth, he sometimes gets sick of seeing her so happy with him; he always feels so guilty afterwards).

The happy couple share an apartment, and Jem is across the street. He pops in often, and their relationship is easy-going and playful, if not occasionally wary. That is, until Tessa sits him down on their couch, curled up against her boyfriend (by now, Jem is used to the way his heart races when he sees her, and stumbles when he sees her with Will).

They glance between each other, Tessa and Will, and Jem knows them well enough to know that they're picking their words carefully. Tessa stumbles through a few minutes of explaining that she still loves Will before her boyfriend gives her a look and says, as blunt as ever, that she wants to date both of them.

Jem blinks once, then twice, and then grins, before a thought crosses his mind. He questions them, how exactly this will work, and if he'll technically be dating Will too. Tessa laughs and shakes her head, responds that that's optional and between the two men- it doesn't matter to her. (Will pipes in with a cheeky wink, saying that dating two hot people is fine by him. The only response he gets is an exasperated but fond glance from Tessa and pink cheeks from Jem.)

The next hour is a serious talk about boundaries and rules. In the end, they it's almost completely laid out. Tessa has two boyfriends, and neither of them are interested in dating the other. The relationship isn't open; they can't date or have sex with whomever they want, at least not without talking to each other first. She doesn't expect threesomes (Will and Jem had both laughed when she blushed and used such delicate words during this; she had been raised in a more conservative home). She didn't mind the idea of going on dates or staying in for the night with both at the same time. Jem and Tessa decided they wanted to go ahead and use the terms boyfriend and girlfriend. Throughout it all, Will made crude jokes that made Tessa give him heart eyes and slap his arm, and Jem laughed and shook his head.

They finish discussing the relationship and move on quickly to the movie that just came out. From there the conversation progresses steadily until it's one in the morning. They're all a little drunk, and sprawled over the couch. Tessa has her head in Jem's lap and her feet in Will's, and the latter is complaining faux bitterly. They're all laughing, shaking their heads and remembering that one time, as Jem winds Tessa's curls through his fingers and over his palm

Weeks pass by and they settle into a routine of dates, just Jem and Tessa at first and eventually Will as well. It's freeing, gentle, fun, and Jem is always thrilled to enjoy the company of his best friend and their girlfriend.

On night they're sitting calmly and quietly, when out of the blue, Will leans over to smack Jem in the arm. Between his inebriated state and his strength, he causes his friend to choke and then rub his shoulder. Laughter and apologies, and then Will asks if he wants to spend the night. They fall silent before Tessa agrees and declares that the bed she and Will shares will probably fit him too. With a smile, Jem consents, and they all trip their way into bed.

The gray eyed girl and the blue eyed boy fall in like routine, leaving the newest member of the relationship standing uncertainly. She takes pity on him and scoots over, rolling onto her back.

When they find the most comfortable position, it's an almost unrecognizable tangle of limbs. Tessa is in the middle (as ever) and on her back, with her forehead leaning against Will's. One arm is pinned to her side and curled around Jem's arm, and the other is trapped between Will's body and his arm- he's on his side, curled forward a little so that her legs are between his even while she's lying straight. He's practically spooning her, and his back is pressed flush against her. On the other side, Jem is also lying on his side, one arm wrapped around his stomach and the other with his girlfriend's. His legs are resting against Will's knees, and his feet against Tessa's ankles.

This is how they fall asleep, curled and wound together- the same way their lives have been.

When Jem wakes a few hours later, it's to sunlight and the smell of Tessa's perfume. He opens his eyes and sees that she's facing him, pink lips open slightly to breathe gently onto his face. He smiles, relaxes, and drifts back off, warm and content.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, let me know your thoughts and please please please let me hear your criticisms or about any mistakes I made. I ask that you keep all comments respectful and keep in mind that I am human, and that I got an hour and forty five minutes of sleep between the last two nights.  
> I apologize for the shitty titles.  
> If you want to contact me, you can get me here, on my tumblr (.wanderiingandllost) or my quotev (.notyourbiitch)
> 
> !Fairly Important!  
> I intend to extend this in a separate work, because I feel like I rushed this and I can do better. I haven't posted it yet, but stay tuned. I'll link it here once it's up.


End file.
